People Change
by KimiKinChou-chan
Summary: When Sakura overhears Naruto and Shikamaru's less than private conversation she realizes she has to change Naruto's feelings about whatever girl he's fallen in love with. But along the way she learns that just like herself, people change. Rating makes more sense in future chappies! xD


**Hello Buddies! I want to set some things straight before I begin this. First off…**

**~*~Watching Naruto has given me some confidence, as well as tons of inspiration. So there you have it. This is the first time I've posted a brand new story on this account. Please bear with me. I don't have the confidence of a skilled writer like the many more of you out there. But hey, I can try right?~*~**

**~KimiKinChou-Chan**

**~Beginning~**

**Chapter 1**

"Naruto? Naruto-Kun?" Pink hair moved through the village of Konohagakure in a hurry to find her beloved comrade. It had been hours and she had gotten a bit tired. Shikamaru picked a time like this to talk to him. It was getting pretty late and Kakashi wanted to meet with the two before he went off and had sent poor Sakura to hunt the blond down and bring him to the training grounds.

She spotted a nearby friend. Good ol' Ino pig knew everything about everyone at every second of everyday. She was the nosey scout! The pink haired girl ran into Orochimaru's Ramen stand. "Hey Ino-Chan!" The blond turned to see her friend of many years. "What're you doing Sakura-Chan?" She asked with a smile. "Looking for Naruto! Have you seen him? Him and Shikamaru-Kun just randomly disappeared at the end of training." The blond female swayed her hair and let out a giggle. "Trying to catch two dogs with one owner I see?" Ino teased. Blushing, Sakura's eyes widened. "**_NO_!** I Just need to bring him back. Kakashi wants to see him. And I." Ino's facial expression went blank. "They went that way. They were talking about some hot chick. Probably not hotter than I but…" Sakura noticed Ino was pointing towards her training ground. She sped off before Ino finished praising herself. "Someone's a bit hasty I see?" Ino asked herself when realized Sakura had gone. She shrugged it off and yelled for another hot bowl of ramen.

"Naruto….Kun?" The girl suddenly stopped in the acknowledgement of him being near. She had thought she heard something and suddenly became silent. "Yea… She's so pretty… God… pretty isn't even that strong of a word to use for her… I want to be hers so bad… I need to know…" The girl stopped in her tracks. _"That's definitely Naruto…"_ She thought to herself. _"But he sounds so… different… Calmer somehow…"_

"It's a bit crazy that I didn't even know I felt this way until just now. I've been so blinded by other things. I want her so bad now. She wants me too... This can't compare to anything Shikamaru-Kun! I think- I think I'm in love!" Sakura began blushing at her friend's statement. She had no idea that all along he had felt this strongly about her. She could smell the crushing from miles away, but this was crazy! She knew she should have ended it long ago… Before things got ugly.

"So, are you going to tell her the way you're thinking now? Or are you going to pour your heart out to me; which by the way, is sort of _awkward_." There was another voice. That had to be Shikamaru-Kun! **No doubt!"**

"Of course!" There was a slight chuckle. "Love is such a drag…" Sakura began laughing to herself. "_That's definitely Shikamaru and Naruto alright."_ She looked from behind the tree she had relocated at to get a better look.

She still kept listening for even further conversation. "All my life, I felt as if _nobody_ loved me… Even when I met you all… A certain place in my heart couldn't be filled. It probably will never be if I keep standing around!" There was a sudden change in attitude, she noticed.

"She's one of the most beautiful girls ever. I can't help but smile… Why'd you wait _so long_ to tell me this Shika?" The pony-tailed boy chuckled once more. "'Cause I'd thought you'd react differently. Besides, she didn't even want me to tell you." Naruto looked at Shikamaru for a second and staed him up and down, analyzing the ponytail, earing, and casual outfit of the day.

Sakura blinked wildly. _"I never told Shikamaru anything…"_ She recalled in her confused thoughts. _Her and Shikamaru had hardly had a conversation. The most they had ever talked, even interacted was when they had gone on that mission together with Naruto to return that ferret… Even then it seemed like the only words he had spoken were orders._

"Why not?" The blonds voice saddened. "She thinks you're in love with uh, Sakura." Shikamaru slowly answered. Sakura's eyes widened and she let out a gasp. "Its not me!"

She suddenly spoke too loudly. Covering her own mouth she realized she was eavesdropping. She didn't want to get caught. It was the main purpose of eavesdropping anyway!

She peered from behind the tree again to make sure she hadn't ruined anything. Shikamaru and Naruto were just as they were before. Thank God. She sighed in relief and shook her head at her unintelligent actions. "You have got to be more careful!" She silently lectured herself with motivational speaking.

"Why would I be in love with her? I mean, crushing is one thing; but in love?" The pink-haired girl became hurt at his words. Her teammate saying things like that, and it was coming from him of all people? Tears gathered in her eyes as she heard the spoken words that didn't seem to be regretted anytime soon.

"Sakura uses me to fill that void that Sasuke left. She wants to play with me 'till she can't anymore. I'm like a doll, let alone a puppet. Loving her would be crazy. I stopped that foolishness a long time ago one day." His voice became cold. He left Shikamaru stunned.

"Why?" He couldn't ask anything else… This was the first time Naruto had truly discussed his feelings to him, and he wanted to know the source of his heartbreak, so that it would never happen again. He would make sure Naruto's new lover, was the only one. Ever again.

"One day she had kissed me. And I kissed her back. We kissed a long time. I felt as if the whole world could be crushed in my palm. When the kiss broke she cupped my face and told me I was her only one; but her eyes read different. I went through months believing that she loved me, and the more I did, the more the relationship seemed real. Then, there was that night when things changed. She had gotten upset at me when I told her that I loved her so much and would die for her. I promised it on my nindo. She brought up broken promises and the nine-tails. She even brought up Sasuke…"

_"He still remembers?" Sakura was really getting more out of this than she expected. Even as the tears fell from her eyes, she watched and listened to every word he said._

"When she said she hated me, something just changed in me. I was going to go crazy. She was so lucky I didn't snap her like a twig." Shikamaru let Naruto finish and looked at him he had won the lottery before his eyes just when he was going to buy a ticket.  
Naruto's expression slowly morphed from cold-hearted hatred, to happiness and then to unexpectedly to laughter. He began laughing crazily and that's when Shikamaru gave in and began laughing too.

"Naruto, sometimes you are_ unbelievable…_ She's going to be pleased when she finds out you're all hers." Naruto let a smirk cross his face as he pulled off his headband and let his hair pick up in the wind.

"And who wants to keep her waiting?" Naruto continued. "I got to go Shika. This conversation stays between us! Understood?" Naruto, and his orange jumpsuit began fleeing into the night as Shikamaru called after him: "Understood! Now go get her Baka!" Standing in misery as to what she had witnessed, Sakura fell to the ground.

She had hurt him that much? She didn't know. The one time she had tried to love, she was betrayed. She really didn't know how to love. He had been threw so much pain already and then she had put him threw that? Her tears hit the grass and all that could be heard in the silent forest now, was her undiscovered muffled crying…

_~*~Ok then! Well I am done for now. It is really short since this is the first chapter. Anybody who reads and wants me to continue? I shall. I kept going back through the story and adding more things. I wanted this to be a piece to remember. You can count on me to make the story the best I possibly can if not anything else!~*~_

_Bye! ^-^_


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